Description du sujet de thèse

Postclassical Arabic Narrative Literature: Texts, Imaginaries, Interactions

This PhD contract in Arabic literature or comparative literature is funded within the framework of the CNRS Mission for Transversal and Interdisciplinary Initiatives. It is part of a dynamic effort to renew research on the postclassical period in the Near East and North Africa. Drawing on a strong philological tradition and benefiting from the overcoming of notions such as “low literature” and “era of decadence” that previously characterised the late Middle Ages and early modern period in this region, a doctoral thesis on Arabic narrative literature from this period can enhance our understanding of the issues raised by this literature, reveal its own specific canons, and ultimately make an original contribution to the history of Arabic literature as a whole.

The thesis will aim to describe, based on a corpus from this period, the aesthetics specific to this narrative literature, while defining the bridges that link it to classical literature and, notably, to other potential sources yet to be identified. It may focus on particular works, whether little-studied or unstudied, or offer a new perspective on well-known works in the field, such as Sīrat Baybars or al-Sīra al-Hilāliyya. It may also make its own philological contribution by focusing on a corpus composed of unpublished manuscripts containing as-yet-unknown narratives, held in libraries in the Near East, the Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa, or Europe.

The following non-exclusive topics could form starting points for the research:
- Aesthetic and narratological questions (analysis of narrative discourse);
- Intertextuality and the evolution of literary traditions (circulation of stories, themes, motifs, and manuscripts across geography and time);
- Typology of postclassical imaginaries, especially if the literary approach is combined with an intellectual history perspective situating the narratives within their cultural, social, and political contexts.

Contexte de travail

The PhD contract will be hosted at UMR 8167 Orient & Méditerranée, in collaboration with the Centre Jacques Berque in Rabat.
The successful candidate will be required to spend one third of their working time, i.e. a total of 12 months, at the partner research unit abroad.
Ongoing PhD projects are not eligible.

Informations complémentaires

Applications must be submitted by August 15, 2025, 4:00 pm (Paris time), to the following address: gismomm-contact@services.cnrs.fr